The NBA/NCAA Debate: Part I

Sorry for no post yesterday, hopefully this one will make up for it...

No, silly t-shirt!

I am here to say just the opposite:

The NBA is the best basketball league on the planet. Period. It is made up of the best players throughout the world, spread out among 30 professional teams in major cities across the USA (and Toronto). Just like the MLB for baseball and NFL for football, making it to the NBA is the mecca of the sport. So why, then, is basketball so much more exciting in the NCAA than it is in the NBA?

Last night the Lakers played the Cavaliers, and Cleveland won 93-87. These are the two best teams in the NBA and have, arguably, the two best basketball players (Kobe and LeBron) in the world. I, for one, could not have cared less. It was not a playoff game, so the outcome of this game was next to nothing; Cleveland is still #1 in the East and Los Angeles is still #1 in the West. The only reason anyone hyped it up is because that was the most interesting matchup of the entire season, and it probably will be until the two meet again in the NBA Finals.

How do I know that those two teams will meet again in the finals? Cleveland and Boston are the only two teams who have a shot at winning the East and once Los Angeles gets healthy by the end of the season, they will be the best team in the West. Sure, Oklahoma City and Memphis are surprises in the West, but once the playoffs come around they will not be able to get close to the finals, even if they do pull an upset in the first round.

"What's that coach? Oklahoma has a city?"

Meanwhile in the NCAA, there have been upsets, surprises and disappointments; just like there always are. There are three teams (Syracuse, Kansas St. and Pitt) who were not in the preseason top 25 poll but, as of 1/18/10, are now among the top 10 ranked teams in the country. North Carolina won the championship this past April and was ranked #6 in the preseason poll. Right now they are out of the top 25 and struggling after losing four of its past five games including a loss at College of Charleston(?!) two weeks ago. Syracuse lost a preseason game vs. the Le Moyne Dolphins, a Division-II team in Syracuse (no idea why they are called the Dolphins). Since then, Syracuse has gone 18-1 against Division-I foes, while Le Moyne is 10-7 in Division-II play.

Gross.

Bizarre? That kind of stuff happens every year in the NCAA! In comparison, if the New Jersey Nets, who are 3-38, beat Boston, who is 27-13, it would be an upset, but it would mean nothing because the Nets would still be 2,000 games out of a playoff spot. A win for Le Moyne over Big East power Syracuse gives the team some pride and bragging rights for an entire year until the two teams play again and the Orange wipe the floor with the Dolphins. Upsets create stories and excitement in the NCAA, while upsets create frustration and confusion in the NBA.

Le Moyne College official mascot and slogan.

There is an headline today on Yahoo! Sports that states "Frustration Mounts" for the Lakers after going 0-2 against the Cavaliers this season... BIG EFFING DEAL! Hey LA, be quiet, you are still 32-8 against the rest of the NBA. And so what if you can't beat Cleveland now? All that matters is that you take care of business in June (or whenever the hell the NBA Finals is played nowadays) when you play them in a seven-game series.

These are all observations someone could make by not even seeing one basketball game. Without seeing the actual players play the game, college basketball is light years ahead of the pros. But if you would see Carmelo Anthony dunk from the Rocky Mountains (figuratively speaking) or Steve Nash make a behind the back pass that makes your neck sore, then you will see why the NBA showcases the best talent in the world on the hardcourt. In my next NBA/NCAA post I will go into game action, and how the two leagues compare.

In the meantime... GO CLIPPERS(!?)

"Awe man! We suck, don't we?"

Brett Favre Sees the Shrink

Note: This is not actual transcript.

"Dude, you suckkkk!"

Shrink: Hello Brett, nice game on Sunday. I see you slapping guys' butts, it looks like you're really enjoying yourself.

Favre: Yes sir Mr. Miller, having a great time. I really think we can knock off those New Orleans boys next week.

Shrink: You better, I have $20,000 riding on it.

Favre: What?

Shrink: Nothing, so on to our appointment... How does it feel to get back to this point in a Minnesota uniform? Would you rather be in the NFC Championship with the Packers?

Favre: No sir Mr. Miller, I wouldn't have it any other way. As I said earlier this season, this is the best team I've ever been on.

Shrink: I hope you realize that 105% of all Packers fans have turned on you. It was one thing when you played for the Jets and nobody cared, but you turned around and signed with the enemy Vikings...

Favre: Man, I don't care what those Cheese-faces think. They turned their backs on me when I wanted to come out of retirement, but they already moved on to "Cali Boy" Rodgers.

Shrink: He is a good quarterback, Brett, and he waited his turn behind you for three years.

Favre: Yeah, but I'm Brett Favre, baby! I was the king of Wisconsin for 15 years, whatever I wanted to do, they should have obliged me.

WOOOOOO!

Shrink: But all they wanted to do was move on. They knew you were considering retirement soon and wanted to be prepared by drafting Rodgers.

Favre: They forced me out! They drafted Rodgers to push me out! They wanted me to retire!

Shrink: You may think that, Brett, but you did actually announce your retirement then back out of it, a few times.

Favre: Yeah but—

Shrink: I think it's fair to say that Green Bay had the right to move on after you retired. You can't expect them to sign Sage Rosenfels to a multi-year deal and have a grieving stage. Aaron Rodgers earned his chance to play in the NFL and he stepped in for you.

Favre: Geez Mr. Miller, that's being pretty blunt with me and I guess I deserved that. But that was a cheap shot at Sage, he is our third quarterback and a good guy... And his wife bakes me cookies.

Shrink: I apologize Brett, but you have to realize, you used to be King of Wisconsin, but now you are just a traitor. If you went to pretty much any other team than one in the NFC North, you would have been alright with the Green Bay fans, but you went to Minnesota. Why?

Favre: They welcomed me, okay? Minnesota really wanted me. Even though the players were kind of skeptical at first, saying it was Tarvaris Jackson's team, until they realized I was a beast and Jackson is a chump compared to me and I won them over.

WOOOOOO?

Shrink: Do you feel bad at all for Tarvaris Jackson? They got all of these weapons for him on offense and then you come in and take them away...

Favre: Do you know how ridiculous you sound? They were building their team around Tarvaris Jackson because he was all they had. Shit, even Gus Frerotte started over him at one point. He is a great guy, but he is a below-average quarterback at best.

Shrink: I think that's all for today Brett, good luck in the Superdome and I'll see you next week.

Favre: It's always great to talk to you Mr. Miller. I like this far better than doing an interview with some know-nothing sideline girl, at least here I can be real. See you next week, hopefully we'll be talking about the Super Bowl and not the Pro Bowl...

Rhetorical Questions of the Day — 1/19

1. How is Josh Hamilton only making $3.5 million this season?

2. Wait, the NY Jets are in the AFC Championship?

3. Can Brett Favre actually come through in the NFC Championship?

4. Why is "Favre" a recognized word on my computer?

5. What would you sacrifice in order to see LeBron in the dunk contest?

6. Which team will land the big NHL superstar at the trade deadline?

7. Are the UCLA and Connecticut recent dynasties over?

8. How insane would it be if Pitt made the Final Four this year?

9. Did anyone realize the PGA Tour season has already started?

Discuss...